Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill March 22 – only narrowly averting a third government shutdown this year. President Trump then signed the bill into law. Congress’s inability to pass spending bills on schedule has produced unrelenting frustration and criticism by commentators and members of Congress alike. Because the congressional...
Here's Why Trump Will Weather the Stormy Scandal
Donald Trump’s opponents have long been waiting for some sort of scandal to bring him down, and they may think they have finally found it in pornographic film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels alleges she had an extramarital affair with Donald Trump in 2006 and was subsequently paid off by a...
If Netanyahu Exits, Things Could Quickly Get Complicated in Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu has dominated Israeli politics for more than two decades. Soon he could be forced from office due to several police investigations on corruption and influence-peddling. If that happens, it will surely complicate Israeli-American relations. Netanyahu, who adamantly denies any wrongdoing, has survived several police investigations in the past...
Editorial: Why Is Valley GOP Mum About ICE Audits Targeting Growers?
The top officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement clearly are following President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant agenda while turning a deaf ear to those worried about Valley agriculture and our neighbors who toil in the fields. Last week, The Fresno Bee reported that Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) sent a letter to ICE...
Tarkanian Avoids Trump's Wrath. Exits Nevada Senate Race.
Former local resident and assistant Fresno State basketball coach Danny Tarkanian announced Friday that he was abandoning his bid to challenge fellow Republican and incumbent U.S. Senator Dean Heller in Nevada. Tarkanian's decision came about one hour after President Donald Trump tweeted that it would be best if Tarkanian allowed the embattled...
Bullet Train Leader is 'OK' With a Do-Over Vote
Dan Richard, the longtime chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, told a Bay Area newspaper columnist Thursday that he is "OK" with allowing voters a second say on the controversial, budget-busting bullet-train project. "I actually would be OK with that," Richard told Richard Borenstein, a columnist and editorial page editor...
Tillerson's Firing and Pompeo's Rise Make Mideast War More Likely
After U.S. president Donald Trump fired his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, many analysts have focused on how this high-level ouster took place: unceremoniously, on Twitter, not in a face-to-face meeting. As a former Middle East analyst at the State Department, though, I think the real drama of replacing America’s...
Tariffs Spell End of the Republican Party as We Know It: Zakaria
Has Donald Trump made the final play in his hostile takeover of the Republican Party? His imposition of trade tariffs, opposed by almost all other party leaders but embraced by Trump's voter base, may seal the deal. As Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria writes in his March 8 column, "The...
Insurance Candidate Says He's a "Triple Threat" to President Trump
Los Angeles physician Dr. Asif Mahmood believes that "Medicare for all" is the best solution for providing Americans with a national healthcare system. He believes he can advance the concept on the state level as California's insurance commissioner. Mahmood, a Democrat, is seeking to succeed Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, who terms out...
Mimicking Trump, Local Officials Around U.S. Use ‘Fake News’ as a Weapon
By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press An Idaho state lawmaker urges her constituents to submit entries for her “fake news awards.” The Kentucky governor tweets #FAKENEWS to dismiss questions about his purchase of a home from a supporter. An aide to the Texas land commissioner uses the phrase to downplay...